The objective of this Training Grant application is to generate support for well qualified students to earn a doctoral degree in the area nutrition and cardiovascular disease at the Gerald J. & Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University. The specific aims of the training program are to: 1) provide trainees with rigorous didactic training in the areas of nutrition, cardiovascular disease, basic sciences and medical ethics; 2) create a supportive environment within which trainees are guided through the process of conducting independent research; 3)develop in each trainee communication skills necessary to effectively disseminate research data in both oral and written form; 4) enable the acquisition to multidisciplinary training to make each trainee competitive upon conclusion of their formal training; 5) instill the skills necessary to become an independent investigator capable of generating research funding; 6) develop a thorough understanding of what constitutes responsible conduct of research; and 7) secure a postdoctoral position on completion of the program. The Program Faculty is drawn from a broad range of disciplines; each member currently directs a vibrant research program and has an extensive history of inter-investigator collaboration. They contribute expertise in the areas of lipids and lipoproteins, genetics, folate/homocysteine (epidemiology and basic science), obesity, cardiovascular disease risk factors and mechanisms, vitamin K, immunology, vascular biology, nutrition assessment, cardiac function and oxidative stress, and atherosclerotic plaque stability. This environment is supplemented by the combined resources of the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Tufts University School of Medicine, and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences that together provide a fertile environment in which predoctoral students can fulfill the aforementioned aims. The symposia, seminars and meetings of institutions in the greater Boston area further serve to supplement these resources.